VICTORY DAY SEES NO MORATORIUM ON SPECULATION OVER PRIMAKOV’S FATE.

Even the celebration of Victory Day did not put an end to the rampant speculation on Russia’s hyperactive political rumor mill. One television channel noted that at yesterday’s military parade in Red Square, President Boris Yeltsin did shake Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov’s hand, though not looking at him while doing so. This is something of an improvement over last week’s Kremlin meeting on celebrating the millenium, when Yeltsin avoided greeting the prime minister altogether (NTV, May 9).

On May 7, during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Yeltsin reportedly greeted members of the Russian and Moscow City governments but refused to acknowledge either Primakov or Kremlin administration chief Pavel Voloshin, who were seated together. Even after Yeltsin had laid the wreath and turned to the honor guard–and was thus facing Primakov–he continued to ignore him while shaking hands with other nearby dignitaries, such as Constitutional Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev.

One television channel reported that Primakov “shyly nodded to Yeltsin” from behind Lebedev’s back, but that the head of state remained “stony faced.” On the other hand, Yeltsin was overheard saying to Sergei Stepashin, the interior minister recently made a first deputy prime minister, something to the effect of, “Don’t forget that you are a first deputy now” (Center TV, May 7). During last week’s Kremlin millenium meeting, Yeltsin demonstratively interrupted the proceedings to ask Stepashin to move to a seat next to Primakov, and gruffly emphasized Stepashin’s new status as Primakov’s first deputy. According to some press reports over the weekend, Primakov was so insulted after Yeltsin’s failure to shake his hand during this meeting that he almost resigned.

OPPOSITION CALLS ON LEGISLATORS TO BACK IMPEACHMENT.